


They were meant to be

by WhisperInTheSorrow



Series: Ironqrow works [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: IronQrow Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-19 14:17:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22245715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperInTheSorrow/pseuds/WhisperInTheSorrow
Summary: Ozpin knew that something like that would happen. Since the moment he met both men, he knew that there was a 75% of possibilities that they would start to scream at each other within the first five minutes when they shared a room. To their credit, Ozpin had to admit, they lasted ten minutes before Qrow screamed at Ironwood that he was delusional and James retorted that no more than a “drunken bird”.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Ozpin (RWBY), Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood
Series: Ironqrow works [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560985
Kudos: 22





	They were meant to be

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone and welcome to my fanfic, yep, I know I'm a day late, but yesterday I didn't have time to post. 
> 
> This fic is part of the Ironqrow week 2020. Hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Day 1: Opposites Atract

Ozpin knew that something like that would happen. Since the moment he met both men, he knew that there was a 75% of possibilities that they would start to scream at each other within the first five minutes when they shared a room. To their credit, Ozpin had to admit, they lasted ten minutes before Qrow screamed at Ironwood that he was delusional and James retorted that no more than a “drunken bird”. At that point everything went down and Ozpin had to dismiss the meeting until everyone calmed down, because Leonardo Lionheart almost had a heart attack when the bad words escalated to the point that most of them didn’t even know if they were at a bar or at a school anymore. Qrow was fully impolite, James, despite being more polite in his tone, was harsh and brutal in his answers.  
They were opposites in Ozpin’s eyes. Where James was white, pure light, the light and hope that Atlas represented, always surrounded by people that admired him, Qrow was pitch black, dark as a night without moon, the despair of someone that knows he’s seen more as an issue than a hepler.  
James is impulsive, he listens more to his heart than to his mind, even if he pretends the opposite, because in Atlas everything is more about brains that about hearts and deep relationships, and as its leader he can’t be so different. But James has a heart, one so big that even Ozpin is surprised by him. Qrow on the other hand tends to think more than he needs to, (which leads to bad voices in his head that tell him how much of a nuisance and failure he is). He is not as impulsive as James, he can’t bring himself to be, no with his semblance, with his misfortune being impulsive gives it a white card that he doesn’t want to give, so Qrow thinks most of the time, at least when he’s not drunk ( and Qrow is drunk about 80% of the time). But that doesn’t mean that James doesn’t think and Qrow doesn’t let himself be impulsive.James wouldn’t go as far as he went just with his golden heart and words filled with such a passion that sometimes Ozpin thinks that if he wasn’t older and wiser he would have jumped into the battlefield against an army after one of Ironwood’s speech. Also Qrow always wore his heart to the sleeve, mostly when he was with his nieces, those little girls meant the world to him. Also, Ozpin knew that if Qrow were never impulsive, they would have never being having that conversation. 

-Are you sure we should trust him?  
-I wouldn’t told him anything if I wasn’t sure, Qrow -said Ozpin for third time in five minutes, five minutes that Qrow had spent talking nonchalantly about James Ironwood, who was talking to Glynda in the corner of the room, next to the coffee.  
-I still think that it’s not a good idea.  
-Why?  
-Because, have you seen him? -Qrow said without looking at Ozpin, his red eyes fixated in the couple in front of them. James was sayin Glynda something about an old comrade in Atlas that made the blonde woman laugh while the blue eyed men grinned amused.  
-Despite my age and my glasses, I’m not totally blind Qrow, so yes, I saw him, I still see him, but since your question is rhetorical I shall let you continue.  
-I mean, he’s the perfect poster boy from Atlas Academy, perfect expedient, part of the oh great specialist -he said sarcastic- and he has two sits, Two!, no one had ever had two sits at the council and less in Atlas, and -James laughs and makes Qrow cheeks turn to a light shade of red that only intensifies when the General, aware of their staring looks at them and gifts them a little and polite smile, almost timid, before returning to his conversation with Glynda- and in top of that he’s handsome.  
Ozpin almost chokes in that, he’s not surprised though, he had known Qrow since the late was a kid and knows a lot of things about him, for him, more than his trusted coworker, Qrow Branwen is almost like his son. But that doesn’t mean that he feels comfortable with the youngest Branwen telling him that he finds his nemesis handsome (as truth as it is, Ozpin is not blind) with that shy tone, so he continues the conversation.  
-Your point?  
-He has to have any faults, no one could be so….  
-Atlestian?  
-Perfect.  
And at that Ozpin wants to laugh because it’s ironic that they were about to tear each others throats an hour ago and now Qrow is saying this. So it was true that opposites attract, and Qrow is attracted towards the General. It’s almost hilarious.  
-Our dear General is not perfect, I can assure you that, but if you want to find something dark in him, try, after all you are my best spy  
-I will do it.  
And that's how starts, that’s the beginning of his mission, and the main reason why Qrow is standing in his bird form at the windowsill of Ironwood’s office at three in the morning, freezing his feathers because the man he’s spying doesn’t have a normal sleeping schedule, something that Qrow wants to change, because in the week Qrow had been following him, the salt and pepper haired man never went to bed before 3 am, and even if it's a Friday night, and in Mantle people are partying, celebrating the end of the week, James keeps working, answering emails of his stressed students, one of them the heir of the Schnee dust company that seems to be having problems with his father.  
Finally, after what it seemed like an eternity, James finished his work and headed home, his General and headmaster quarter, and a few minutes later, when he could feel his wings again, Qrow flew to the window of the apartment, a large window that held the most beautiful views of Atlas. Maybe it was his misfortune, maybe it was that he couldn’t stop himself because his wings were still cold, or maybe because he was distracted thinking about James, but the thing is that he ended up hitting the window and falling, thank brothers, in the little terrace James had, but his transformation faded.  
-Qrow, what are you doing in my terrace? -asked James, who had went outside when he heard the crash.  
-Hey Jimmy -saluted Qrow with his hand still on his nose, nervous, because he hadn’t meant to be caught - I was...well, I came to see you, yeah, I came to see you -wich was, technically the truth.  
-How did you end up up here? -asked James offering his left hand to Qrow to help him on his feet.- I mean, I‘m glad you’re here, but, em, we are not precisely on the first floor.  
-I have my ways -he said- do you mind if I come in?, I’m freezing here.  
-Yes, of course, I apologize for my manners -said James guiding him to the interior.  
James quarters were big, with an open kitchen and two rooms, one of them a studio and other the main room, James room. But even if it was big, and it was filled with furniture, it felt so empty, and it wasn’t the first time that Qrow found himself thinking that they were really different. James was always surrounded by people, his employees, his comrades, his students, the rest of the council, the doctors of that lab (that Arthur Watts give Qrow bad feelings, he seemed a little obsessed with James noticing him and his artifacts), but at the end of the day, he was alone at his office, without rushing out to get home as early as possible, because in that big apartment there was no one to receive him, he had no one to return to. The perfect man of Atlas, the greatest hero, the mighty knight in shiny armor, was alone, isolated by those who respected him so much that didn’t dare to talk to him out of work. Qrow, on the other hand, was always alone, he preferred to do solo missions because of his semblance, but when the day is over and it’s time to get home, he flies as fast as he can, only to see his nieces again, his little firecracker and his little Ruby, because even if he is the incarnation of misfortune, he still have someone that loves him and waits for him to return home. Now he feels almost lucky.  
-Do you mind if I spend the night here? -he asked James when the General returned with some warm drink that smelled like chocolate. - I don’t want to impose, but I doubt that being friday I would find some place to crash. -James seems startled by his request, and Qrow knows that it’s because of all the people in Ozpin’s inner circle and maybe all Remnant, he didn't expect Qrow to be asking to stay with him. Not when the last time they saw each other they almost comit double murder. -I can leave if you…  
-No, no of course you can stay -James cuts him and smiles at him a little.- you can use my bed, I would use the sofa.  
-No way I’m taking your bed, Jimmy.  
-You are my guest, you take the bed. -insists the General.  
-What if we share? -proposes Qrow and when his mind registres what his mouth said, his cheeks blushed.- If you don't mind. I'm pretty sure that a General’s bed it’s big enough for two or three people.  
They were so different, Qrow discovered that night, after a few glasses of whiskey that turned out in two bottles and a half at the end of the night, but in matters of getting drunk they were equals, both drinking to forget, James his solitude, Qrow his bad luck, as if the alcohol could erase the pain they had been hiding since they had memories. The sunriser caught them in James living room, with Qrow sprawled on the carpet with James at the top of him, kissing him, the first kiss of all that came later.  
-So how it went? Did you find anything dark about our dear General- asked Ozpin later that month.  
-Nothing remarkable to mention -said Qrow looking at Glynda and James at the corner of the room. 

Because it was true what they said “Opposites attract” but they need something in common to stay together, and Qrow and James were certain that they were meant to be, Ozpin was sure about that.


End file.
